


Alone

by Morpheus626



Series: Lee's Rock/Queentober 2020 [11]
Category: Queen (Band)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-10
Updated: 2020-10-10
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:34:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26937460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Morpheus626/pseuds/Morpheus626
Summary: Assigned lad for this prompt: JohnSynopsis: Baby Robert and John, alone for the very first time! Wonderful bonding time! Except also literally everyone who has ever deal with young babies alone before knows that it’s also No Sleep-Oh God What Else Can Baby Want-Holy Shit I Can Do Nothing On My Own Because Baby Time. Which isn’t terrible, it’s a part of the experience, but it’s intimidating the first time you do it alone (source: I had to baby-sit my younger cousins at these ages, alone. They were very good birth control, because I Have Done My Time now.)He just needs a friend to help, and luckily, at least one of them is available to do just that.
Series: Lee's Rock/Queentober 2020 [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1950265
Comments: 2
Kudos: 21
Collections: Dork Lovers Server Challenges





	Alone

It wasn’t that he was afraid to be alone with the baby. That would have been silly. 

He was, however, nervous, which was entirely different. 

Especially with Veronica gone for the next few days. Just a few, to see her mum and have a break from the particular brand of stress that came with being the mother of a very young baby. 

“It’s just that you’re awfully tiny,” he told Robert, who, at all of nearly two months old, blinked at him. 

“I know we’re fine. And we’ll continue to be fine. You’re well-behaved, must have good parents,” John joked. 

Robert fussed. 

“It wasn’t that bad,” John protested. “Almost funny, even. But this is okay. We’ll just...do something.” 

Toys were of little effect. Bottle ignored and pushed away with little fingers flailing. 

“And I know you’re clean,” John sighed. “That’s the big three, so can I get a hint?” 

Robert screwed up his face, and broke into a full wail. 

John nodded, bouncing lightly on his feet in what felt like an absolutely useless attempt at comforting his son. “Thanks for that.” 

For a lack of any other ideas, he wandered the house, humming and gently rocking and bouncing. 

To no avail. Robert remained unhappy and crying, and John winced as his ears started to ring. 

It wasn’t necessarily a cause for panic; the pediatrician had warned them it could happen and did happen to most parents. A rough night or more, where baby simply doesn’t seem to be comforted by anything, and it would take extra work to figure out what he wanted. Eventually, they would stumble up on what Robert wanted, or he would calm as they comforted him. 

But still, John worried. 

“What about calling a friend, hm? You’ve never gotten to do that before! I mean, you haven’t been alive long enough to make friends aside from Mummy and me, and don’t know how to use a phone, but you get what I mean, right?” 

Robert hiccupped and sobbed and let out the saddest whimpers John had ever heard, so he dialed fast. 

No answer from Roger, or Brian. But in fairness to them, it was now three in the morning. 

Freddie surely was out for the night too, or so he presumed. 

“Hello?” Freddie sounded groggy, half-asleep. 

“Freddie! How are you?” 

“...Sleeping? How are you?” 

“Fucking terrified,” John admitted. “Babies can’t cry themselves to death, right?” 

“I’m not a doctor, but I’d guess probably not,” Freddie replied. “Is that Robert I hear? Awful late to have a baby awake, isn’t it?” 

“He is not awake by my choice,” John sighed. “He’s upset over something, and so tired and angry. And I don’t know how! He’s too tiny to be this upset.” 

Freddie laughed. “I’m sure he’s going to be fine. It hasn’t been going that badly with Ronnie away, has it?” 

“Not until now,” John said, bouncing more as Robert started to build up another wail. “I can’t figure out what he needs or wants and I’m useless. I thought maybe if he heard someone else’s voice, it would placate him.” 

“You aren’t useless,” Freddie said softly. “And it certainly doesn’t hurt to try.” 

John dragged a chair from the kitchen table into the hall near the phone, and set the receiver down on the hall table so Robert could hear Freddie too. 

“I think we can hear you now,” he told Freddie. 

“I should hope so,” Freddie said, now clearly talking more to Robert than to John by his gentle tone of voice. “Because I can certainly hear someone else.” 

Robert whimpered, his eyes darting to try and put a face to the voice. 

“That’s Uncle Freddie,” John said. “And how sweet is he, to talk to you so early in the morning?” 

“He’s not screaming,” Freddie noted. “That’s an improvement.” 

Robert fussed a bit more, and Freddie giggled. “I’m sorry, did I interrupt you? You’re just like your dad, aren’t you? Once you get to know someone, there’s no keeping you quiet.” 

John blushed. “I can be quiet.” 

“I know you can,” Freddie said. “That’s not how I meant it, darling.” 

He addressed Robert again. “Has your daddy slept at all in the last few days?” 

Robert whined and rubbed at his eyes. 

“That’s no good,” Freddie sighed. “Maybe you both need a nap, hm?”

John’s face lit up. “You’re a genius.” 

“No, I’m just someone who’s gotten more than an hour of sleep in the past seventy-two hours,” Freddie said gently. “Why not go down for the night and let your dad rest, Robert?” 

Robert let out another full-bodied cry. 

“Okay,” Freddie said. “Forgive me if it isn’t perfect, but it’s been more than a minute since I had my mum sing me to sleep. Maybe this will put you down too.” 

John didn’t understand the song, pretty as it sounded in Gujarati, but it was incredibly effective. 

“John? Deaky? For goodness’ sake, John, it was supposed to put the baby to sleep, not you!” 

“M’awake,” John mumbled, forcing his eyes open as he used his free hand to grab the phone receiver. 

In his arms, Robert was barely awake. Eyes open slightly, but his breathing slow and his face snuggled against John’s chest. 

“Are you?” Freddie laughed. “I don’t think I believe you.” 

“I am,” John yawned. 

“I think you need to go put the baby in his cradle,” Freddie said. “And go to bed. I’ll talk to you later.” 

John nodded as he hung up the phone. “We owe Uncle Freddie one now, don’t we?” 

He got as comfortable as he could on the chair. It would only be another moment there, then he would get up. It was difficult; he was cozy and Robert was adorable, happy and sleeping in his arms. How could he bear putting him down now and possibly waking him?

\---

His eyes opened, and so did the front door. 

“Knew it,” Freddie sighed as he walked in and over to John. “I’m so glad Ronnie gave me a copy of your house key. Here, give me baby, let’s get him safe in his bed.” 

“Ronnie gave you a key?” 

“Just for times she’s away,” Freddie replied as he carefully took Robert from John. “I thought it was overkill, but I see why she wanted me to have it now.” 

“Mind his neck,” John mumbled sleepily. “And when you lay him down, he needs to be on his-” 

“Deaky,” Freddie interrupted gently, rocking slowly so as to not wake Robert. “I remember. You quizzed all of us on all of this, in case you’d ever need us to baby-sit. I think I’ve got that information permanently etched into my brain.” 

John nodded. 

“You just try not to fall out of the chair, okay?” Freddie asked quietly as he started up the stairs. “I’ll be back for you.” 

His eyes fluttered shut again as he listened to Freddie hum the tune from the phone call as he walked away. 

When he opened his eyes again, Freddie was in front of him, shaking his head and smiling. “I’m not carrying you like I did Robert. There’s too much of you to support your head and neck anyway...” 

“That would be silly,” John agreed through another yawn, letting Freddie help him up from the chair. 

“Have you gotten any sleep, at all?” 

“Light naps, whenever Robert’s slept,” John replied. 

“Too light of naps, apparently,” Freddie said. “No decent sleep at all. You let yourself sleep tonight, alright? I’m not going anywhere, and I’ll keep an eye on baby while you pass out.” 

“Not gonna pass out,” John sighed as Freddie helped him fall onto the bed in his and Veronica’s room. There was no bothering with getting him into nightclothes, him being in the bed was victory enough. 

“Right,” Freddie said. “I was going to leave by breakfast...but I’d better stay till lunch, because I don’t think you’ll be awake before then.” 

John snored in response, and Freddie giggled as he left John and went back to Robert’s room. 

He took to the rocking chair after a last check on Robert, who was seemingly sleeping just as hard as his dad. 

He retrieved a notebook and pen from the bag he’d brought with him. He was tired, but not so much that he couldn’t stay up and fiddle with lyric ideas until John and Robert were both fully rested. 


End file.
